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CU Medallion [64891]
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A Playoff Random Thought:
Dec 10, 2021, 12:12 PM
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The Cincy Beercats getting into the Playoffs is a huge story. They will certainly be out to prove to everyone that they deserved to be there. In their situation, they have to have a lot of self-belief, because almost assuredly, none of the Talking Heads will say they have any chance of beating Ala-BAMA.
My random thought is this: Moreso than any game in years, how the first possession on both sides of the ball goes for Cincy will pretty much make or break this game.
Offense: If they get manhandled, stuffed on the run and pass, and have to punt away after a quick three and out, some of that self-belief goes out the window.
Defense: If Bama takes their first kickoff and just blows their way downfield into an easy opening touchdown drive, a WHOLE lot of the Cincy self-belief will just evaporate.
Now, this is not to say that the game will definitely be over already if these things happen. But, anytime one team is a huge underdog against another, the old phrase "Keep hanging around, the longer you can keep the game close, the more the odds swing in your favor" comes into play. With this game also having Nick Saban prowling the opposite sideline, it would be easy for Cincy to get that deer in the headlights look, and suddenly realize, OMG, this is THAT Alabama we are up against! And, the tents get folded early.
Honestly, with this much time to prepare, that is kind of what I expect to see happen. And, hidden in the deepest part of their closet, the CFP Committee probably hopes for that outcome as well. Then, henceforth, they wouldn't have to provide nearly as much justification for keeping the next Cincy OUT of their clambake altogether from now on.
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All-In [26464]
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Cincy steamrolling the 2 kings of the SEC
Dec 10, 2021, 12:20 PM
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Would prolly force ESECPN off the air for 2 days and send Finebum to Europe to cover soccer
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CU Medallion [64891]
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Oh, they would quickly come up with some narrative to cover
Dec 10, 2021, 12:29 PM
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things.
Remember how quickly this:
"Bama will always have the advantage over Clemson due to them playing that tough SEC schedule every year, they are battle tested tough. Meanwhile, Clemson hasn't proven they can beat a really good team at all!"
After 44-16, turned into this:
"Bama was just tired, beat down from that tough SEC schedule that they had to play. Clemson meanwhile, got to rest up for the whole year and just focus on this one game. Really unfair advantage to them because the ACC is so weak."
It only took a couple of days for Finebaum to get to that, from being "absolutely gobsmacked" right after the game. 
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CU Medallion [64517]
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110%er [7191]
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Re: A Playoff Random Thought:
Dec 10, 2021, 12:28 PM
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Random thought; Depends on which Alabama team shows up. If it is the Alabama team that needed a last minute score to knock off Auburn then maybe Cincinnati doesn't need that gift. However if it is the Alabama team that throttled Georgia then Cincinnati might need to get the ball to start both half's.
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110%er [5072]
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Re: A Playoff Random Thought:
Dec 10, 2021, 12:37 PM
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Bama has been up and down this season so maybe the Auburn game was just one of those times they were down this year. I think it's also possible they were looking ahead to Georgia. I know that's hard to believe in the Iron Bowl, but the matchup with Georgia was huge and Auburn came into the game at 6-5 with their backup QB and a loss to South Carolina the week before. I'm not saying Bama didn't care about the game, but I could see the players not keying in on Auburn the way they should during practice and film prep. It may not be all that different from the way our defense played against South Carolina in 2018.
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CU Medallion [56606]
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January 2017 CFP Championship Game
Dec 10, 2021, 12:32 PM
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Bama comes out and before long it’s 14-0.
Game over.
But like you said, it’s not definitely over. Is Ridder a DW4?
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Orange Blooded [2928]
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Re: A Playoff Random Thought:
Dec 10, 2021, 1:13 PM
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Keep in mind, they were undefeated in the regular season last year as well. Their only loss came by 3 to UGA in UGA's backyard (Peach Bowl), in a game that they led most of the way. UGA had mostly the same core team as they have this year, and needed 14 4th quarter points to win the game.
I don't see Cincinnati being intimidated by Bama. It is a very experienced team with not a lot to lose as no one is giving them much of a shot.
That said, anytime you give Saban a month to prepare, he's going to have his team focused and ready to go. Not to mention, he always seems to find the weaknesses and expose them when given this much time. I think Bama wins the game, but I think it will have more to do with Saban and the talent gap, than Cincy's self-doubt.
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